Air purifier



y c. FARMER 1,805,657

AIR PURIFIER Filed May 9, 1927 INVENTOR I CLYDE C.FARMER BYW'MWW ATTORNEY Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca cnvnn c. mam or rrrrsnuaen, PENNsvLvANIA, AssIGNon. are THE WESTING- HOUSE Am BRAKE COMPANY, or wmamNe, rENNsYrNANIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSY VANIA m runrrmn Application filed 1e19, 1927. Serial No. mam.

' This invention relates to air purifiers and more particularly to a device for purifying air employed in a fluid pressure brake system.

a I With the usual fluid pressure brake system vemplo ed on railway trains, the locomotive is equipped with an air compressor and one or more main reservoirs into which the combeen found that oil and water carried by the air, tends to collect in the several parts of the brake system, and in some cases, the

f deposits so formed, interfere with the desired operation of thebrakes', and in view of this is a diagrammatic sectional view of an airit is very desirable that the oil and water be removed from the air before it is supplied to ,the brake apparatus. The principal object of my invention is to rovide means for purifiying compressed-air fore it is supplied to a uid pressure system, such as a flIIIdI-EIGSSIH'G brake system.

A' more spec c object of the invention is to provide an air purifying device having means whereby oil or water, contained in a fluid stream flowing through the device, may be removed fromthe stream by condensation and whereby congealed oil, or frost and ice formed in the device and clogginglthe flow of the fluid stream may be removed by'the action of heat automat1cally applied to the device. V a

-These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description. Y

Referring to the drawings, inv whichlike.

reference characters refer to like parts Fig. 1

purifying. device constructed in accordance my inv ntion, and Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of a portion of the .same.

- According to my invention, one or more sections 1 of coiled pipe are provided, each section having its upper end opening into a header 2 and itslower end fopening into a drain reservoir 3. Fluid under pressure is supplied-to; the header-through a p'ipe4 and pre erablylocated adjacent the juncture of sure system through an outlet pipe '5.

is discharged to other parts of the fluid pres In the present embodiment of the invention, the sections 1 of coiled pipe are contained within a chamber 6.formed b the header'2, drain reservoir 3, sidewalls and end walls 8 and 9, all of whichlare suitably connected together. The end wall 8 is provided with an opening 10 through which currents of air are adapted to pass. It will be understood that the chamber 6 may be formed'in many ways other than that described, and it will also be understood that the opening 10 may be formed in a side wall 7 or any other suitable part of the enclosing structure. v

Leading into the chamber 6 there is an air duct 11 through which heated air may be conducted to the chamber from a heated air duct 12 and through which cool air may be conducted from a cool air duct 13, the flow of air through these ducts 12 and 13 being controlled by a gate or damper 14 which may I ivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 15 the ducts 12 and 13. The operation of the gate or damper 14 is controlled bya control valve device16. The cool air may be the same temperature as the atmosphere, while thetemperature 6f the heated air is higher than that of the atmosphere and may be supplied from any suitable heating source...

The control valve device 16 comprises'a casing which contains a flexible diaphragm 17 having, at one side, a chamber 18 which isconnected with the header 2 by a pipe 19. On'thei other side of the diaphragm there is a chamber 20 which isgconnected with. the drain reservoir 3, through a pipe 21, which conneetswith the outlet pipe 5. The chamber 20'. communicates with a chamber 22 through a passage 23 and the chamber 22 is adapted to communicate with the atmosphere through a passage 24. The opening and closing of the passages 23 and 24 is controlled y by a double seating valve 25 contained in the chamber 22, and whichis provided with a stem 26 adapted to be acted upon by the dia-,

phragm 17 to operate the valve one direcf tion and by a spring 27 to operate the valve in the opposite direction.

The chamber 22 of the control valve device is connected with a piston device 28 by a pipe 29 which leads to a piston chamber 30, formed in the casing of the device, which chamber 30 contains a piston 31. At the left of the piston 31 there is a chamber 32, having source, is supplied to the header 2 through the pipe 4 and from thence flows through the coils 1 to the drain reservoir 3 and then to other parts of the fluid pressure system through-the outlet pipe 5. With the system char ed, the'pressures on opposite sides of the iaphragm will be balanced, due to the chamber 18' being connected with the header 2, and the chamber 20 being connected with the outlet pipe 5, so thatthe spring 27 acting upon the valve stem 26, will hold one end of the double seating valve 25 seated to close the communicating passage 23. When the valve 25 is in this position, the chamber 22 will be open to the atmosphere-through the passage 24, so that the piston chamber 30 which is connected with the chamber 22, by

the pipe 29, will be vented to the atmosphere. In itsnormal position as shown, the damper 14 will close the heated'airduct 12 and will permit cool air, from the cool air duct-13, to enter the chamber 6 to act upon the coils 1 to cool them and cause any water or oil, which may be carried in suspension by the air from the fluid supply source, to condense and deposit on the interior surfaces of the coils, and such deposits will drain into the drain reservoir 3. When desired, the foreign matter collected in the reservoir, may be discharged through a suitable drain cock 37.

As long as fluid under pressure flows freely throu'gh'the coils 1, the pressure in the header 2 and drain reservoir 3 and outlet pipe 5 are balanced, the device will operate as just described.

Should the oil deposited in the coils 1 become congealed, or should the condensed moisture freeze in the coils, to such an extent that. fluid under pressure would not be permitted to flow freely through the coils 1 from the header 2 to the drain reservoir 3 and outlet pipe 5, the pressure in the header would be greater than that "of the drain reservoir and outlet pipe, and as the header'is connected by a pipe 19 with the chamber 18' of the control valve device 16, the pressure in this chamber will be substantially the same as in the chamber 18 will act upon .the dia-' phragm 17 and move it, together with the double seating valve 25, downwardly, compressing the spring 27 and unseating the upper part of the valve 25, thus permitting fluid under drain reservoir pressure to flow from the chamber 20 through the passage 23 to the chamber 22 As the upper portion of the valve 25 is unseated, the lower portion is seated, thus closing the passage 24 leading from the chamber 22 to the atmosphere,

so that the fluid under pressure in the chamber 22 will flow through the pipe 29 to the chamber 30 of the piston device 28 and cause the piston 31 and rod 35 to move outwardly, thus compressing the spring 34 and causing the damper 14 to be rotated, about its pivot pin, a suflicient distance that it will open the heated air duct 12 and close the cool air duct are thus cleared of foreign matter, the pressure in the drain reservoir will again be raised to that of the pressure in the header 2, at which time the pressures in the chambers 18 "and 20 are'balanced. The spring 27 which has been compressed, now acts upon the valve stem 26 to move the double seating valve 25 upwardly until'the upper portion of thevalve seats and closes the passage 23, so that fluid under pressure from the chamber 20 is not permitted to flow into the chamber 22. As the upper portion of the valve 25 seats, the lower portion is unseated, thus permitting fluid under pressure in the chamber 30 of the'piston device, to be vented to the atmosphere through pipe 29, chamber 22, and

passage 24, which permits the spring 34' which has been compressed, to move the piston 31 and rod 35 back to their normal positio ,as shown in the drawings. As the rod 35 -i thus moved, it causes the damper 14 to move to again open the cool air duct 13 and close the heated air. duct 12.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details and arrangement of the several parts of the device, without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. A device for separating foreign matter from a fluid stream, comprising a member through which the fluid stream flows, the inner wall of said member being adapted to collect said foreign matter from the fluid stream, a structure enclosing said member, an air duct leading into said structure through which cool or heated currents of air are adapted to be introduced into said structure for cooling or heating said member, and means for automatically selecting one or the other of said currents of air. I

2. A device for separating foreign matter from a fluid stream, comprisin a member through which the fluid stream ows, the inner wall of said member being adapted to collect said foreign matter from the fluid ting off one or the other of said currents of stream, a structure enclosing said-member, an air duct leading into said structure through which cool or heated currents of air are adapted to be introduced into said structure for cooling or heating said member, damper means operative for selecting either the heated or the cool air current, and valve means subject to opposing fluid pressures to operate said damper.

3. The combination with means interposed in a flow offluid for separating oil and water from the flowing fluid, of means operated upon the clogging of the separating means for supplying a heated current of air around the separating means to cause the clogging matter to flow from said separating means, said means being operable upon theclearing of said separating means for closing 01f the heated' current of air and for supplying a rior of said structure for controlling the temperature of said separating means, a damper associated with said ducts for shut-v air, and means for automatically operating said damper.

5. The combination with a coiled pipe through which a stream of fluid flows and in which foreign matter in the fluid stream collects, a structure enclosing said coiled-pipe,-

J ducts for supplying a heated and a cool air current to the interior of said structure for heatlng or cooling said pipe, a damper assosaid structure, a damper for selectively conoutlet means and with said piston device, said valve device controlling the operation of said piston device.

7. The combination with a coiled pipe connecting inlet and outlet means for a fluid stream and adapted to collect foreign matter contained in said fluid stream, of a structure enclosing said pipe, ducts for supplying heated and cool air currents to the interior of saidstructure, a damper for selectively controlling theflow of said air currents, a piston device for operating said damper to shut ofi one or the other of said air currents, and a valve device controlled by the pressures in said inlet and outlet means for causing said damper to be operated to select either the heated air current or the cool air'current for admission to said structure. 1 8. A device for separating foreign matter from a fluid stream and for removing the separated foreign matter from the path of flow of said stream,-coinprising a member through which the fluid stream flows, the inner wall of said member collecting said for-' eign matter from the fluid stream and conducting said collected foreign matter out of the path of flow of the fluid stream, and pressure sensitive means for controlling heated and cool air currents about said member.

9. A device for separating foreign matter from a fluid stream and for removing the separated foreign matter from the path of flow of said stream, comprising a member through which the fluid stream flows, the inner wall of said member collecting said foreign matter from the fluid stream and permitting said collected foreign matter to be discharged from the path of flow of the fluid stream,,and pressure sensitive means for controlling heated and cool air currents about said member. a

'10. A device for separating foreign matter from a fluid stream and for removing the separated foreign matter from thepath of flow of said stream, comprising a member through which the fluid stream flows, the in ner wall of said member collecting said for-,

eign matter from the fluid stream and conducting said collected foreign matter out of the path of flow of the fluid stream, and

means operative automatically according to the flow of the fluid stream through said memher for admittingair at different tempera- I tures around said member. 11. A device for separating foreign matter from a fluid stream and for removing the separated foreign matter from the path of flow of said stream, comprising a member through which the fluid stream flows, the inner wall ofsaid member collecting said foreign matter from the fluid stream and conducting said collected foreign matter out of the path of fioW of the fluid stream, and

means automatically operative by fluid under a pressure according to the condition of the collected foreign matter in said member for supplying air around said member atone temperature at one time and at a different temperature at another time.

12. The combination with means interposed in the flow of fluid for separating oil and ater from the flowing fluid and for conducting said separated oil and Water from the path of the flowing fluid, of means operated upon the clogging of the separating means for supplying a heated current of air around the separating means to cause the clogging matter to flow from said separating means.

13.- The combination with a coiled pipe through which a fluid stream flows and in p which foreign matter in the fluid stream collects of meansfor conducting a heated air current and a coolair current about sald colled plpe, a damper operative to selectively 7 control the flow of said air currents about said coiled pipe, pressure sensitive means for operating said damper and a pressure sensitive valve device operative to control the operation of said pressure sensitive means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CLYDE C. FARMER. 

